The Department for Education today announced 77 new free schools have been approved. This figure takes the number of open and approved to open free schools to over 500, in turn creating more than 330,000 new school places.

"We welcome the idea outlined today that would see universities further incentivised to get directly involved in setting up free schools. From Birmingham to Exeter, King's to Cambridge they have already founded some fantastic schools and it would be very exciting to see a new generation of university schools.

"Over the last five years we have seen record numbers of groups coming forward to set up new schools and provide an excellent education all without selection being on the table. If this is something that parents want in significant numbers, it should be given consideration but the devil will of course be in the detail. Any move to reintroduce selection must ensure it genuinely improves social mobility. We will be watching the development of this policy with interest."